# Car Vent controlls

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-vent-controlls/42696>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 25, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-vent-controlls/42696 "2000-11-25T22:59:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-vent-controlls/42696/1 "2000-11-25T22:59:12Z")

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Ok, On every car I’ve seen, when you’re given the options of which vents you want air to come out of, it’s:  
FEET, FACE/FEET, FACE, WINSHIELD, WINSHIELD/FEET  
But I’ve never seen the FACE/WINSHIELD combination. Why is that? There are plenty of times when I’m cold, so I’ll aim the vents at me, but then the windshield starts fogging up, so I’ll aim it at that, then I get cold again, and so on, and so on. I can’t think of any good reason not to have that combination.

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**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2000, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-vent-controlls/42696/2 "2000-11-25T23:02:00Z")

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I’ve often wondered the same, and I have no clue. my WAG would be that the ducting prevents both the face and windshield vents from being opened at the same time

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**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2000, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-vent-controlls/42696/3 "2000-11-26T00:24:28Z")

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In my car at least, venting on the face and windshield is unnecessary because the angle of the windshield means the air gets blown across my head and face after being blown on the windshield.

–Tim

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**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2000, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-vent-controlls/42696/4 "2000-11-26T00:31:47Z")

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This is not mundane enough. In fact, this is one of the questions that’s been plagueing mankind since the invention of the wheel!

Well, OK, not really. But it’s still off to **General Questions**.

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2000, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-vent-controlls/42696/5 "2000-11-26T00:43:02Z")

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And isn’t it amazing that the automotive air conditioner was invented by 3 Jewish brothers who were so proud of their creation that they got their names on the control panel? I’m speaking of Max, Hi, and Norm, of course.